Holly, a single mother of a 14-year-old daughter, found herself in a terrible position, evicted from her housing. The two began moving from place to place, making it impossible for her daughter to attend school regularly. They stayed with a friend for a short while, and then camped at free and dispersed sites.
Holly’s daughter eventually went to stay with a friend. Not having her daughter with her was hard for Holly.
Christy, one of The Next Door’s Family Advocates, got Holly on subsidized housing waitlists as she held down a part-time job. While she was waiting for housing, her boss found out she was leaving her dog and sometimes her daughter in the car during her shifts, and Holly was let go and told to come back when she figured out her housing situation.
Holly hit a low point. Her car broke down in the Walmart parking lot, and she was left to sleep there. Christy brought her blankets, food, and battery chargers for her cell phone, which was her only connection to her daughter and other resources. Holly’s physical and mental health were deteriorating, and Christy would help with transportation to get to appointments and pick up medication.
Finally, Holly was called back by an apartment complex. It was an arduous process due to Holly’s lack of good rental history and the eviction, but Christy advocated on her behalf to the landlord on why she deserved a second chance.
Holly soon moved into the apartment and her daughter came home to live with her again. Today, her daughter is doing well in school, and they are both in mental health counseling. Holly has a stable job that she enjoys. She is feeling positive about the future.
Recently she shared with Christy, “I was out walking in the rain the other day and thinking just how thankful I am to have my own apartment and job. Life is very different compared to this time last year. Thank you for everything you do!”
About Family Advocates
The Next Door’s Family Advocates work with Family Support and Connections, a free, voluntary program providing in-home support to low-income families. Family Advocates connect parents to community resources and housing assistance and with concrete resources such as clothing, food boxes, baby supplies, and more. The program’s goal is to reduce a family’s stress and promote protective factors, such as parental resilience and social connections.
The Next Door, the Gorge’s largest human services 501c3 non-profit organization, serves more than 3,000 Gorge community members each year with programs that support and empower. For more information, or to donate, visit nextdoorinc.org.
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